Pennsylvania Oddities

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The Strange Confession of Leopold Rowe Dec 15, 2023

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In February of 1900, a tiny, middle-aged German tramp found himself confined to a steel cell in the basement of the Lebanon city hall. He had been brought to Lebanon from the Berks County, where he had been picked up on a vagrancy charge. This was nothing out of the ordinary for 50-year-old Leopold Rowe, who had been drifting from town to town for the past ten years of his life. Rowe was no stranger to county jails and small-town lockups, and, under normal circumstances, he would've been out on the streets in a day or two. But this time, things would be different. This time, Leopold Rowe admitted to murder-- and claimed that the ghost of his victim had tormented him into confessing his crime.

The Mysteries of Sugar Notch Swamp Dec 01, 2023

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In 1915, a group of boys skating on a frozen swamp discovered a headless body entombed in ice. All signs pointed to foul play, but who was the victim?

Execution of a Voodoo Doctor Nov 15, 2023

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Over one thousand criminals have paid for their crimes in Pennsylvania with their lives. But one man, Lorenzo Savage, holds the distinction of being the only voodoo doctor executed by the Commonwealth.

The story seems like a tale ripped from the pages of a dime-store novel: A lovelorn nurse is brutally slain, her body found outside an abandoned mansion. In her hand detectives find an arrangement of playing cards, which they soon learn is the black magic "hand of death". But the tragic tale of Elsie Barthel is not a work of fiction. It really happened in Pittsburgh in the fall of 1923.

A Tragedy in Ghost Hollow Nov 02, 2023

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In Lebanon County there exists a place known to locals as Ghost Hollow. For more than a century, strange things have happened near this rural stretch between Shaefferstown and Newmanstown. In 1876, a teenage girl lost her life in a horrific carriage accident just outside the tiny village of Millbach. According to those who witnessed the entire incident, something "otherworldly" was to blame.

The Trick or Treat Killer Oct 15, 2023

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Every Halloween, children's thoughts turn to black cats, goblins and ghouls. For most, it is a joyful occasion, a chance to indulge in all things delightfully wicked. From magic potions to witches on broomsticks, the imagery is often lighthearted and playful because Halloween monsters are just make-believe. But tragically, in October of 1954, one little girl discovered that some monsters are real.

Pennsylvania Serial Killers: Martha Grinder Oct 01, 2023

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One of America's most successful serial killers was Martha Grinder, an Allegheny County woman who rose to notoriety in the years following the Civil War as "The Poisoner of Gray's Alley". What made Martha Grinder so successful in playing her deadly game, aside from the fact that she killed indiscriminately for years before getting caught, was that she appeared beyond reproach-- for Martha was adored by her neighbors and was regarded as one of the kindest-hearted women in the Pittsburgh area.

The Murderous Minister Sep 15, 2023

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The historical record shows that 1,043 criminals are known to have been executed in Pennsylvania, beginning with the hanging of Derek Jonson in Bucks County in 1693 and ending with the lethal injection of Philadelphia serial killer Gary Michael Heidnik in 1999. Of these 1,043 persons who paid the ultimate price for their crimes, only one was a clergyman-- Cyriacus Spangenberg.

The Lamb's Gap Murders Sep 01, 2023

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Two young lovers, killed by a single sniper's bullet. For 99 years, the Lamb's Gap Murders have perplexed law enforcement. Who killed Harry Ganster and Leah Ellenberger in May of 1924? Moonshiners? A jealous ex-lover? Or was it a murder-suicide? At various times, all of these explanations seemed to fit. The problem, however, is that none of these explanations fit perfectly.

Did Daniel Mellott Burn his Children Alive? Aug 01, 2023

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With Guest Host Ashley Bemis. In April of 1875, the most sensational murder trial in the history of Fulton County took place. Charged with one of the most shocking crimes imaginable were Mary Mellott and her husband Daniel, a Civil War veteran who was known throughout Buck Valley as "Wolf Dan" on account of his disfigured face.

The Haunted House of Wetmore Jul 15, 2023

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The McKean County township of Wetmore once boasted an architectural gem of a mansion with a dark and mysterious past. Rumored to the inhabited by maleficent spirits, the "Haunted House of Wetmore", as it was known to folks in Kane and surrounding towns, was erected in the early 20th century by a businessman who had something of a fire problem-- that is to say that every building he owned was destroyed by a bizarre series of fires over a period of several decades for which there was no discernible cause.

Stranger still, several family members of the man for whom the mansion was built died under strange circumstances, leading many to believe that the family of Thomas Keelor had been cursed by someone-- or something.

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